TOLEDO, OH - A former Ohio attorney was found guilty of attempted murder after he tried to kill his ex-wife in a restaurant. He now faces up to 25 years in prison.
The suspect, 43-year-old Matthew Exton, had his law license suspended shortly after the incident, which took place on April 11, 2025, PEOPLE reported. Exton attempted to shoot his ex-wife inside the Sabira restaurant in Toledo, Ohio, the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office said in a September 4 press release.
Exton was found guilty of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault, with two firearm specifications attached to each of the three counts. He was acquitted on the remaining count of felonious assault.
His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 21. Prosecutors allege that Exton walked into the restaurant with a loaded firearm, pointed it at the victim and attempted to fire the weapon, according to an arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE. However, Exton's "weapon failed to discharge as the weapon appeared to still have a safety on," the warrant stated.
Exton “brought the weapon closer to manipulate the safety in what appeared to be an attempt to fire the weapon,” but a waiter tackled him before he could make a second attempt. “The gun had one round in the chamber and seven others in the magazine,” according to the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office.
In an April 13, 2025, statement, his ex-wife told authorities that Exton pointed the gun at her chest and pulled the trigger multiple times. She reportedly had a petition for a protection order against him. "The gun made rapid ‘click’ noises as he pulled the trigger,” she wrote in the statement included with the order.
During the trial, Exton denied trying to shoot his ex. "I did not fire ... I did not hurt her. I did not try to hurt her," he testified. In his testimony, Exton said he was frustrated by how she'd handled their divorce, which occurred in 2024. He said he became homeless after their split, despite working as a prosecutor in Michigan and practicing law in Ohio.
Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates reacted to the verdict in the news release. "Nothing in their training and soft openings at the restaurant could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door,” she said in a statement after the verdict.
“The defendant did not come with the intention of having a meal. He came with anger in him and with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day," she added. "We appreciate the jury’s service this week, and we hope its decision provides some sense of closure for those seated at the table as well as the Sabira employees who were also victimized that day,” Bates continued. “The employees and patrons who stepped in to stop the defendant that day are heroes."
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